Monday, May 13, 2013

Super Tuyo: My New Kitchen Hero

This post will give a whole new light to eating the very familiar yet applauded less, Tuyo. Tuyo in the Filipino's dictionary is any fish heavily salted and dried under the sun, which in turn preserve the fish then stored. Also, it is the most widely eaten viand during stormy seasons. Unlike daing (another kind of dried fish) tuyo are smaller variants of fish such as herring, and Salinas being preferred by many.

Admit it or not, in one way or another we may have liked eating tuyo. I've been trying to refresh my memories on how it made a mark in my childhood memories. But all I have are those yucky moments. I guess my parents didn't give us those for reasons being salty and scaly. However, still fresh on my memories is the love they have for it. Whenever a friend or relative from their hometown visits us, they would always have a bunch for my parents as "pasalubong." They would always have it for breakfast and sometimes would throw some into vegetable soups like munggo. One striking incident was when we where having champorado, all of us in the table where licking our spoon over a comforting chocolatey thick consistency of porridge, while our dad was putting bits of the tuyo in his mouth after every spoonfuls of the champorado.

Eeeywh!

I started eating dried fish when our second child was two years old. Her yaya happens to feed her with fragments of it. We would always have scrambled eggs or sunny sides with corned beef or hotdogs or tuyo. If we have tuyo then that means I'll only be having eggs and sinangag (fried rice). To my amazement Danielle likes it, but I told the yaya she can not eat too many as it is salty. Seeing my daughter savor one chip after another, as the yaya fed her, I asked myself, why I haven't developed the inkling for it. Everyone would enjoy it, including my parents (who would usually crave for it and would ask me to buy for them and send it to Milan), except me.

Then, I tried! It was ok, though I find it cumbersome to separate the fish meat to its bones, and I hate it when the bones get in my mouth. Plus, I could never really like the odor while it is being cooked. So, I still would not say that I became a fan.

Till I found something that made me crave for it more. Though it's the "pina-sossy na tuyo" (dried fish that is made classy). It's actually a Super Hero disguised as a humble fish, or is it the dried tuyo disguised as a super hero. Well whatever it is, it had saved my days with sumptuous meals I have invented for the family.

It's Super Tuyo!

It is jarred, soaked in a secret sauce with canola oil, and best of it, it's deboned.

There are three variations - the Original, Famous Spicy and Sweet Spicy.

It is best with steamy plain rice, however I found several use for it.

You can either sautee with it or top it over steamed veggies. Above, I sauteed the chopped garlic and onion in olive oil and added the Super Tuyo Famous Spicy, after which I dumped in a bunch of haricot verts or French green beans. Once the beans are cooked (making sure not to overdo it, retaining the crispiness of the beans) you can enjoy it as it is or have rice on the side. You can also try this with asparagus, string beans and broccoli.

How about making it as your alternative pasta sauce?

To make the sauce on the photo on the top of this blog, cut a cup of cherry tomatoes in half. Saute 1 TBSP chopped garlic and 2 TBSP chopped onions in 5 TBSP olive oil on a medium pan over heavy heat. Plunk the tomatoes on the pan. Sweat the three ingredients and put the whole jar of Original Super Tuyo. No need to season. You can put shredded fresh basil leaves, but in my case, I chopped 6 large leaves of gynura procumbens (our local Ashitabah) which I have picked from my potted plants in our veranda. Top over cooked (250 gms pack) spaghetti or any pasta. I won't suggest you top it with parmessan because it's already salty enough. But if you can't live without it on any of your pasta dish, well by all means.

I can now say that I not only like this tuyo but love it "kasi super sa sarap talaga!" (it is super delicious)

I'm sure like me you are thinking who is behind this brilliant idea. Many OFW's have been wanting to taste tuyo even outside the Philippines. So what the Tongo couple did was to send some relatives abroad with tuyo flakes placed on plastic microwavable containers.
Gilbert Tongo, the son of Gilberto and Milagros, now handles the marketing and the over-all production of Super Tuyo. With a creative mind he was able to reinvent the packaging and made the super heroes themed jars and they are now ready to rock the foodies world. In fact, I have just sent some jars to my parents in Milan.

About Me

A foodie, a mom to four. a wife, a baker, a business owner and a friend to many!
Method to my madness:
1. Frequent visits to places I love.
2. Fill up my home with lovely memories were eating is the medium.
3. Write my mind out!
For collabs, inquiries and reviews you may email me at gastronomybyjoy@yahoo.com or send me an SMS at 632 9176318186